Archives and Special Collections

Archives and Special Collections materials are available to NYUAD students, faculty, and staff, as well as qualified researchers from the UAE and abroad. Our goal is to provide access to rare and unique primary source materials that support the teaching and research needs of students and faculty, and promote scholarship and interest in the history of the UAE, the Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula, and the wider region. In addition, Archives and Special Collections also houses the University Archives of NYUAD, collecting and preserving records that document the history and development of this campus.

What Materials Comprise Special Collections?

As primary source materials, the holdings of Archives and Special Collections include rare books, maps, brochures, pamphlets, photographs, posters, oral histories, correspondence, diaries, personal documents, films, and sound recordings, among other materials. The characteristics that they share are that they were usually created by eyewitnesses to or participants in historic events or movements, and such materials initially served a different purpose than the scholarly and informational purposes we use them for today.

Five Thematic Areas